Eternal Love
by LimeJelliCrystals
Summary: Well this s my first story, hope you like it. ItÕs a Daine and Numair fic, Ôcause they belong with each other and no one else. It may sound like a load of sap at the start, but it gets more interesting later on. I promise.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer- In no way do I own any of the rights to any of the characters mentioned in this story. It is merely fan fiction, meaning I am using Tamora Pierce's wonderful characters to create my own little plot.  
  
A/N Well this s my first story, hope you like it. It's a Daine and Numair fic, 'cause they belong with each other and no one else. It may sound like a load of sap at the start, but it gets more interesting later on. I promise.  
  
Eternal Love  
  
Prologue  
  
Daine smiled, "I knew you were going to bring this up again!" "Yes well you never answered me the first time. Which you should have done, did you", Numair grinned. Daine glared at him, "I still don't know!" "Why not", Numair retorted, as he gazed into her eyes.  
  
Daine sighed. "It's just so confusing, I just think that one day, if I say yes, and we do go ahead and get married, then you will wake up, see me and think, she is immature, I should have wedded an older woman, she is to young for me!" Numair held his gaze but intertwined his hands in hers, she looked down, but Numair squeezed her hand and she looked up at him again.  
  
"Daine, if you said yes, then I would be the happiest man in the world, and one with a very beautiful, and gifted wife that I love very much, and nothing could dampen my love for that wife. Veralidaine Sarrasri, I love you and nothing could change that, I just want to declare to others and solidify my love for you", Numair finished in a manner of reciprocity.  
  
Daine bit her lip, in uncertainty, "you're sure?" "I'm sure Daine, and if out of me or you, should be worried about the other having doubts in the future it should be me". Daine buried herself in Numair's shirt, inhaling his sent of spices, soap and clean clothes as he ran his fingers through her thick, curly mass of hair. A stream of tears rolled down her face, "there wont be any need for that, I would never have any second thoughts, for if I were to marry someone with as much charm as you Numair".  
  
Numair straightened his posture and tilted Daine's head so he could see her, "So magelet, it's a yes?" he asked excitedly. "Yes, Numair, it's a yes". He picked her up by the waist and swung her around in circles, delighted. Once Numair became less energetic, he set Daine on a stone bench in the small courtyard they were in.  
  
They sat there for a while, kissing and whispering romantic things into each other's ears until they heard a bell clamour nine times. They sighed, knowing that it was time for the banquet in celebration of the end of the war of immortals from two days ago, it had taken a day for everyone to regain their energy ad then another to fetch the injured and bury the dead, a surprisingly short time for such a thing to be done.  
  
Daine, dressed in a lilac coloured gown her mother, the goddess, the green lady had made for her, and her hair was adorned with white petalled flowers. She was to be one of the more recognised quests due to her large efforts and inputs in the war. It had been she that had defeated the previous Carthak Emperor, Ozorne and she who had requested the extra help of many of the creatures to fight against the immortals.  
  
Numair leaned closer to Daine's ear and whispered, "You look beautiful magelet". It made Daine blush madly. "Your hand, magelet", Numair requested. She offered it and Numair pulled out a shiny thing from his pocket, in the moonlight it shimmered silver, he placed it on one of Daine's hands and kissed it, when he pulled away the band glowed as if trapping the light inside it.  
  
Daine held the band up to the moonlight more clearly and discovered that it held a glittering stone, a white one as the one at the top the staff the mage held. She sighed, "Numair it's beautiful thankyou!" Daine squealed as she thrust her arms around the mage. He kissed her forehead, "Not as beautiful as the person wearing it". Daine blushed red again.  
  
"Come magelet", Numair offered her his arm, she took it and they walked into the hall, their arms linked, smiles on their faces and a brand new glow expelling from both of them. 


	2. Announcement

center Announcement /center  
  
As they entered the hall, their hands now to themselves, a short copper haired lady rushed up to them. "Finally Numair, you bless us with your presence!" the copper haired lady, Alanna, the Lioness, The Kings Champion, smiled sardonically. "Sorry Alanna, we lost track of time", he apologised. "Well, I can see how you could do that Numair, but Daine, what kept you so long?" Alanna inquired.  
  
"Sorry Alanna, I lost track of time too, we aren't too late I hope!" Daine asked. "No, just ten minutes, Jon hasn't even come yet, I was just about to go look for him, we have a few unexpected guests", Alanna explained. "Wait no longer Alanna, I'm here", another voice joined the three. "Jon, finally!" "Yes, sorry, I met a certain dragon who was playing with my children and the certain dragon, broke into Thayat's paint box, and to make a short story shorter I ended up with red and purple dragon prints all over my breeches.  
  
  
Daine gasped, "Oh, your Highness I'm sorry!" "It's all right Daine, I merely had to change". "I'm still sorry", Daine mumbled, shifting her feet. "Don't be Daine, I'm sure hen it's dry it will be a work of art", he replied, "Alanna, you said something of an unexpected visitor". "Yes Jon, it's quite a display in the adjoining chambers, a badger and a platypus, which entreuges me, platypuses are usually found in water and especially not found in Tortall", Alanna said. Diane looked at Alanna, "Alanna, which chambers are they in?"  
  
Alanna pointed to a passageway leading to a small conference room, Diane entered it and ran to the animals, hugging the platypus and running her fingers through the badgers mattered fur. -You are happy to see us my kit- -yes badger of course I am- the badger grumbled humbly -Daine I have an itch on my neck and can't scratch it, would you oblige me by doing so? - The badger asked, -of course- the girl scratched the badger and he grumbled more, in a happy low rumble, which meant he was pleased.  
  
-Daine, we come from your mother and father to you and the powerful mage, the stork man, where is he? - Daine pointed outside, -call him will you, that's a good kit! -. Daine left the badger and bought Numair to the room. -The gods, well the ones that matter in this affair have witnessed the ring giving, and Wyrin an The Green Lady ask only three things of you, the first being that their Daughter isn't taken advantage of, but they know you wouldn't do that mage man, the second being that you hold the wedding ceremony on Beltane and the third that they receive invitation, and it wouldn't hurt to invite some other gods, such as a certain badger- the badger concluded.  
  
Numair and Daine exchanged looks, "We can arrange for all three requests, Numair answered. -Very well then, give my ears and my own regards to the screaming purple eyed one, huge monsters indeed- the badger grumbled. -Bye Daine, It also woul'dt hurt to invite a certain duck mole either- the platypus added and then the badger and platypus disappeared in a flash of silver light.  
  
Daine and Numair approached the high table where their seats were situated, the people had already started to dine and their plates were laden with food. They took their seats, Numair sat next to the Baron and Daine on her other side. Daine picked up her cutlery and started to cut the chicken into smaller pieces.  
  
What is that, its blinding me, the Lioness thought as a light flared in her eyes, flickering then coming back to full force in little more than a second, repeatedly. She shielded her eyes as she searched for the source, she saw it, to the left of her, Daine was wearing a ring, whilst she cut the chicken on her plate. Alanna was blinded by another flash, as her gaze was directed straight at it.  
  
Her vision returned and the spots in it vanished once she blinked a couple of times. She approached Daine, and asked Numair to sidle along, she looked sceptical but mover alone anyway. "Daine, stop for a second, please", begged the Lioness, "I'm sorry, its just that that piece of jewellery your wearing, it's blinding me over there, it's reflecting the light and it reflects into my eyes!".  
  
The girl stoped cutting and grinned, "Sorry Alanna, I didn't know". Now that Daine held her hand still, Alanna saw that the ring was an expensive one, a lone diamond embedded into it's silver base, but a very large diamond. "Daine, I'm appalled, I thought a girl like you wouldn't want to waste money on a piece of junk like that", Alanna said. Daine just grinned.  
  
Numair turned to The Lioness, "so you give a girl a gift and it's an expensive piece of junk!". Alanna just raised her eyebrows, "gift, what for, Daine it isn't your birthday is it?". "No, much better than that", Daine smiled dreamily. "Look Daine", Alanna said, "I don't go well for retaining curiosity, so tell me or I'll hang you from the deepest well in Tortall!".  
  
"Numair, should I go with the well or give her the information she wants?", Daine asked, making Alanna scowl. "We said if anyone asked we'd tell them, so long as she doesn't shout it from the rooftops, tell her", Numair said. "Okay, but lets have some fun, Alanna have you noticed what finger it's on yet?" Daine asked, pleasantly annoying. "No", Alanna scowled again, she looked at the ring, it was on, "your engagement finger!".  
  
"Well done Alanna", Numair crooned as if she were a three year old, in mock humour, "And what does it mean if you have a ring on your engagement finger!". "You're engaged", The Lioness replied in an awed voice, "to whom?!". "Well Alanna, it generally is custom for the ring giver to be the fiancŽ isn't it?", Numair said. "But, who ga- just a minute you said you gave it to her, bu- wha- sh- yo- married!", Alanna stammered.  
  
"Well done Alanna", Daine sung, "Numair 'n me are engaged". "What, when, who, how! I'm defiantly confused!", Alanna confessed. "Okay, well, Daine and I are engaged, and no don't say anything about the age factor because we don't care, I proposed to her when she found me after the battle but since then she has been saying maybe someday, it's Daine and I and I just gave her a ring and proposed again, that is why we were late for dinner", Numair added.  
  
Alanna stopped stammeing long enough to say, "I cant complain bout the age factor now can I. Me and George are eight years apart in age, and you're only, actually your fifteen, gosh, fifteen, Numair I understand others might not!". "Well too bad for those who don't understand, because were going through with it whatever they say", Numair said, "The wedding is to be held on Beltrane, sometime in the years to come and no one is going to intefere with it".  
  
"Alanna, if I had doubts about what si between me and Numair then do you really think that I would have said yes, we love each other and we belong together regaurdless what others do or say", Daine said. "As I said, you don't have to prove yourself to me, its to those who disagree with you being together that you have to prove something to", Alanna said quietly. "We don't have to prove anything to anyone Alanna", Numair retorted.  
  
Alanna sighed, her face grim, "I just want you to be happy, and you wont be with rumours flying around like cursed stormwings". Daine looked at Alanna, "Alanna, I know that I wont be happy if I don't have Numair, and since when have I cared for rumours?". "True". "Daine, perhaps we should just get it over with and announce it to the entire court?", Numair suggested. "That would be a smart idea, it would be better to just get it over with and let them think we are worthy of their shame and rumours", Daine agreed.  
  
The chair scraped against the polished wooden floor and people turned to Numair as he tapped his glass loudly, "If I may have all of your attention please?", he continued, "I have an announcement to make, I, Master Numair Salasm"n and Veralidaine Sarrasri, are engaged to by married, before anyone comments I would like to say that anything you do nor say will make us change our minds", Numair seated himself and kissed Daine on the cheek as if to settle the matter and started cutting the vegetables on his plate into smaller pieces as if nothing had happened and as if he didn't know the entire court was whispering about the announcement. 


End file.
